Along_the_Wire according to the ONS the average public sector earnings premium was 7% in 2019 and has declined from 10% at the start of the last decade.

I’m glad that gap is shrinking rather than growing but to be honest I don’t have a massive problem with there being a smallish premium as long as it’s contained and I think it’s unavoidable to some extent. I’d be more concerned about trying to figure out how to reduce waste and expenditure on inefficient or non-essential shite so that more money could be spent on improving educational standards or boosting the take-home pay of people grafting 60hr weeks on minimum wage. Osbourne’s living wage reform in the 2015 budget was one of the truly great political reforms of recent times and very few people give him or his party any credit for that.

      C_J This includes low skilled workers which the public sector has very little of as that will have been outsourced to private companies. And why does a private business need to make a menial job look attractive by offering an enhanced pension package?

      Why anyone would deny anyone else the right to a decent salary and package that reflects their qualifications, the work they do and the risk they take, is beyond me. The public sector aren’t the fucking scroungers the right would like you to think.

      • C_J replied to this.

          Along_the_Wire This includes low skilled workers which the public sector has very little of as that will have been outsourced to private companies

          Nope. They have controlled for this in order to compare like with like. There’s no getting away from the fact that public sector get paid more for the same work because there’s no bankruptcy risk. There’s nothing you can do about this as long as it doesn’t spiral out of control.

              C_J I read the article before I posted earlier. We aren’t talking about the unskilled workforce here, are we? We’re talking about people with professional qualifications and specific skill sets.

              Apologies for going all Hugo (without the racism):

              The final paragraph in section 2:

              “Our analysis shows that the modelled average public sector earnings premium based on gross pay including overtime pay and bonuses is higher for private sector employees in upper-middle and upper-skill groups in medium-sized firms, large firms and very large firms than for public sector employees. We also found that the modelled average public sector earnings premium is mainly concentrated among low-skilled workers, while high-skilled employees in the public sector tend to have lower earnings than employees in the private sector employed in the knowledge-intensive services and primary sectors. Further, public sector workers have positive earnings premiums over their counterparts working in the less knowledge-intensive sectors in the private sector.”

                And if you want to compare lower-skilled workers, the public sector are paying £13.62 an hour on average and the private sector £11.24. The shame is on the private sector here. Fuck putting the boot into public sector earnings when we’re talking about £13.62 an hour.

                  Along_the_Wire except they didn’t. As the government fucked up, ignored advice and discriminated based on age. So we are all getting an extra 7 years final salary.

                      benson So we are all getting an extra 7 years final salary.

                      What do you mean by that, benson?

                        Along_the_Wire And if you want to compare lower-skilled workers, the public sector are paying £13.62 an hour on average and the private sector £11.24. The shame is on the private sector here. Fuck putting the boot into public sector earnings when we’re talking about £13.62 an hour.

                        So essentially, if you’re a thicko and/or lazy, public sector is a winnerrelative to your skillz.

                        If you’re not, you can get better vfm for your skillz private sector.

                        That’s not really a revelation is it?

                            Mad_Cyril I’m not concerned with lower-skilled worker salary differentials, especially it’s the private sector that needs to up its game.

                              Think the bigger picture needs addressing first, if possible.

                              Jobs, Musky et-al piling up more than they can ever spend is fucking obscene.

                              Read something recently about Jobs investing coin in developing space colonies, reminded me of this fella;

                              C_J I think the fact that the NHS has not been able to hit targets set for it with waiting times is a good yard stick. The retention of staff might be another. The fact that more and more people choose to go private. That the Tories have invested less than the median that has been spent on it over it’s lifetime.

                              Also, whilst Dutchy is trying to morph into a modern day Alf Garnet (I’m joking, I still need him onside for betting tips), and we are talking about NHS costs, it’s been fucked ever since the Tories created an internal market out of it. Admin for the NHS used to be about 4% of it’s budget in the 70s, it’s not around 15%. You could get rid of the internal market and save 10% of your budget… not bad I reckon? Same market and contractors gave you some tabloid headline shiz like £52,000 to hang a door which should have cost £750 etc. Also, £750 to hang a door is still mental, unless it’s the security door from Tron. But, fear not, the Tories are happier to keep lining the pockets of their business friends rather than help the people. Several of them have written books on selling it off and good old super weapon Jeremy Hunt openly said he wants to dismantle it, I think whilst he was Health Secretary.

                              No idea on the police. But the education sector is in bits, retention of staff over the last decade has been abysmal, and our prisons have been a shit show forever, it’s not something we seem to be able to do very well in this country.

                                C_J This is good, worth a look peeps.

                                  Playing devils advocate a bit here but the starting salary for a nurse has actually gone up 12% in the last three years.

                                    I’m going to be taxed around 52% for my bonus this year. HOW IS THAT FAIR??!